Still no decision on forgery probe

On Tuesday, it was still unclear which police agency would investigate allegations that signatures were forged on Madison County Independence Party petitions.

According to Oneida City Police on Monday, anyone wishing to file a police report should contact New York State Police in Oneida, and that the department was forwarding all information it has collected to the troopers.

However, on Tuesday, the Madison County District Attorney's Office said that was incorrect and that the reports would be handled by the Madison County Sheriff's Department.

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Madison County Sheriff Allen Riley was unavailable for comment on Monday or Tuesday.

Last week, police agencies reported a number of local residents came forward to file police reports, after learning their names appear on petitions they say they never signed. They believe their signatures on the documents are forgeries.

During the summer, petitions were filed by the Independence Party to place the the names of Assemblyman Bill Magee (D-Nelson), Madison County District Attorney William Gabor and Helen Acker, who is running for Oneida City Common Council Ward 4, on the Independence Party line in the Nov. 6 election.

So far, several individuals have notified police that their names appear on the petitions for Magee and Gabor, but they did not sign the documents.

Magee's petition had already been disqualified by the state Board of Elections because of objectionable signatures and procedural errors, but the deadline has passed for objections to be filed with the county Board of Elections for Gabor's.

Last Friday, because of jurisdictional issues and the fact that one of the petitions is for Gabor, police were trying to sort out who would handle complaints.

Gabor has said that if charges are pressed in the case, a special prosecutor will be appointed to avoid any conflict of interest.

The names on the petitions were solicited by volunteers for the Madison County Independence Party, whose headquarters are at 165 Phelps St. in Oneida.